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Anyone got the Bee Farmer Badge?

A commemorative edition of the 1914 classic, Scout Tests and How to Pass Them is available now.

Scout Tests... was the official manual used by Scouts and Scout leaders and the go-to place for badge requirements and skills in the first part of the 20th century. From a time before TVs, iPads and computers, when young people spent almost all their time outdoors in the fresh air, this book is an intriguing historical document from the era. It shows just how much has changed since 1914, when the badges were highly vocational, designed to prepare young people for the world of work.

Published by Michael O’Mara Books to celebrate the book's centenary, it provides instructions on how to pass a diverse range of badges, from the Coast Watchman and the Bee Farmer badge to the Woodman and Minor badge, which, astonishingly, required a Scout to ‘have worked below the surface for not less than six months.’

Other examples of the brilliant badges from the book include:

Bugler badge

Laundryman badge

Poultry Farmer badge

Public Health Man badge

Sea Fisherman badge

Telegraphist badge

With an introduction from Chief Scout Bear Grylls, the book is the perfect gift that Scouts both young and old will treasure.

Scout Tests and How to Pass Them is available now at £12.99 from Scout Shops.